Southport man completes 98 mile walk to help save Gym Club

A Southport man has completed a mammoth 98-mile-walk in one weekend as part of a fundraising drive for Southport Gymnastics Club.

Rich Simcock completed the trek along the Cheshire Ring in just two-and-a-half days in a bid to raise money for the parent-run club. The journey started from Rich's workplace near Runcorn and took him Cheshire, Staffordshire, Greater Manchester and back into Cheshire again.

Donations received so far have totalled nearly £3,000.

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Speaking after the trek, Rich said the challenge was a painful and difficult one, but worth it to help the cause. Rich's nine-year-old son Paddy is one of 1,300 people who use the club each week, while wife Sarah is on the parent-led board who are working to secure its future.

“The club's in dire need for financial support. We need to raise £350,000 in the next two years to buy the building. We don't want to be asking for money all the time, but we need to reach that point.

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“Any help that anyone can give would be fantastic because it's such an important institution.”

Rich journey saw him begin at 6.30pm on the Friday, just hours after arriving back from a business trip to America. He walked until 2.30am the following morning, before setting up camp. He then walked 23 miles the next day before a huge effort on the Sunday saw him walk from 6.30am until midnight, completing the final 50 miles in just one day.

“My legs are alright but my feet are in agony,” he said. “I just wanted to do something that was a real challenge to try and garner support. It's such an important cause so I wanted to do something that was difficult enough to be worthy of that.”

To donate to Rich's efforts, click here, or to visit the Southport Gymnastics Club fundraising page here